[Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2023-08-10

[birdmarymoor]

Tweets - Today featured a high cloud cover, which meant the morning wasn't too cold.  Temps in the 60s all morning, hitting 70 by the end.  The park was audibly quiet; almost no birds are singing, and even calls seemed muted today.  But birds were definitely about.  

The best sighting, though, was Matt Bartels - returned after a three-month absence.  Great to see him up and around.

Bird highlights:
    Common Merganser - Female with 5 large ducklings fishing the slough and weir area
    Rufous Hummingbird - Still one remaining in the NW corner of the Pea Patch
    Virginia Rail - One heard late in the morning, well downstream of the weir
    LEAST SANDPIPER - 4-5 seen.  See below
    Red-breasted Sapsucker - One at edge of Dog Meadow
    Hairy Woodpecker - One or two
    Pileated Woodpecker - One flew south over our heads, for a 5 Woodpecker Day
    Warbling Vireo - One along the edge of the Dog Meadow
    Purple Martin - Still active at both the gourds and in the snags west of the slough
    Tree Swallow - Getting late for them; two over the East Meadow
    Violet-green Swallow - Only one !
    Western Tanager - Male, south end of East Meadow

Pre-dawn I had one (maybe two) LEAST SANDPIPER in a very unexpected place.  It was on the gravel trail along the west edge of the East Meadow.  After possible/probable sightings the past two weeks, it was great to get a confirming look.  Once the walk started, we had one heard and briefly glimpsed downstream of the weir.  Later in the morning, Matt had 4-5 calling and then landing just below the weir.  We've had fewer than 20 confirmed sightings of Least Sandpiper ever at Marymoor.

Misses today included just Barn Owl (easy to see a this time of year *IF* they are breeding in the park, which they didn't seem do to this year), Brown-headed Cowbird, and Wilson's Warbler.

And, of course, we were all missing Brian Bell.

For the day, 62 species.

= Michael Hobbs
= http://www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
= birdmarymoor at gmail.com